Conflicted Affections
by LiveLaughLoveTogether13
Summary: With the world on the brink of war, sixteen-year old Annabeth Chase finds herself evacuated from her home in New York to the English countryside for her own safety. Percy Jackson is everything she should stay away from; but she can't help but be drawn to him. As the world tips into chaos, two people learn how to make a home in the wreckage. Inspired by How I Live Now, AU, Rated M
1. Prologue

_With the world on the brink of war, mandatory conscription is required of all men above the age of eighteen. Sixteen-year old Annabeth Chase finds herself evacuated from her home in New York to the English countryside for her own safety. Percy Jackson is everything she should stay away from; he has the mystery, the accent and those infuriatingly beautiful green eyes. She can't help but be drawn to him. As the world tips into chaos, two people learn how to make a home in the wreckage._

 **Rated: M**

 **Inspired by: How I Live Now (the film since that's all I've seen, but the book is on my to-read list xD)**

 **Warning: Triggers, dark themes, violence, sexual content and explicit language**

* * *

II Conflicted Affections II

II Prologue II

* * *

Guns. That was the first thing I noticed as soon as I stepped off the plane. The heavy military presence of soldiers lined side by side in pairs, patrolling every corner of the airport added to my foreboding mood about this damned trip.

The smell didn't help either. God, the smell was awful.

Increasing the grip on my suitcase, I turned to the nearest restroom. The itch had come back, spreading through my body like the sting of a bee. Water spluttered out of the sink, as I scrubbed my fingers until they turned a harsh red. I looked around, noticing that the bathroom was deserted. Glancing up, my eye caught the mirror. It was stained with dirt, cracked in some places. It seemed that maintenance had been low in priority since The Attacks started.

Golden hair curled past my shoulders, reaching my elbows in unfashionable ringlets. The ends were different lengths; courtesy of kitchen shears used back home. The colour made my usually tanned skin from months at summer camp in Long Island seemed to result in ghost-like paleness from the fourteen-hour flight. Translucent, I could see the dark blue veins wrapping around my wrists. Faint pale lines wrapped around my wrists, barely visible to the naked eye and had long healed, hidden by the new layers of skin that had rebuilt on top of the scars.

 _It's your entire fault. Why couldn't you have tried to convince Dad? That's the reason you're here anyway. You own father can't help you, who can?_

"Don't listen to them Annabeth." I whispered. "They're voices. Just voices." I glared into my silver eyes, remembering my mother's smile. "It's not your fault. She loved you. She didn't want to leave you."

I kept repeating the chant in my head, gripping the edge of the sink in an unbreakable hold. The opening of the door awoke me from my stupor quickly, as a young woman came in, hands gripping a toddler who rushed into one of the cubicles.

Releasing one last held breath, I pulled my phone and headphones out, stuffing them over my ears and blasting music to drown out the voices. For once, it seemed to work. Grabbing my passport, I made my way towards the collection point, standing in the ever-moving line.

The woman at the checkpoint table was as grey as the airport. Dark hair was pulled into a stern bun, grey slacks and a white blouse that seemed to be the standard colours ever since the Attacks had become more frequent and the looming cry of war on the horizon.

"Passport please." Her voice was robotic, as she scanned my passport through the computer. "Step forward for identification please."

With a short intake of breath, I stood in front of the scanner, as lines scanned my face. The computer beeped, turning a light green.

"Here's your passport Ms. Chase. Welcome to Newquay, Cornwall. Enjoy your stay."

Releasing the breath I seemed to have held, I stepped through the boarder into the English shoreline. There were people scattered around the entrance, a woman with a headscarf wrapped around her head asking for directions, girls kissing boys who were dressed in camouflage as they parted to aircrafts, a few younger boys around her age staring at the propaganda posters that lined the walls or to the soldiers, almost wistfully. In a year, they would be sent to the front line. I wondered if they were excited. Malcolm was, although his eagerness to escape from his little sister and his messed up life must have been the main reason for his hasty enlistment. There were television screens scattered around, hanging from metal wires from the ceiling, showcasing news about new attacks in Berlin, Hong Kong and Seoul.

There was so much fire, so much destruction.

Fisting through my pockets, I gripped the edge of my phone, turning the sound up to thundering volume. Closing my eyes, I breathed in slowly, dropping my suitcase and duffle bag onto an empty seat, gazing out of the terminal window into Cornwall.

Everything was so different from New York; there was no hustle or bustle of people pounding down the streets, no well-dressed men in suits carrying briefcases or girls tittering for a cab. It was an unnerving quietness, the sky a pale blue. Few clouds flittered across, and the sun seemed almost non-existent. I had heard of how unpredictable English weather can be, but I hadn't thought it to be so _dreary_ or _wet_. There goes my tan. Shivering, I pulled my jacket closer around myself, threading my fingers together as I took in the vacant car park.

Even now, the airport seemed so _un-busy_ compared to home; I had a hard time with my thoughts. Usually the noise helped, the noise drowned out the voices. But there was no noise here, only the quiet hum of the countryside or the occasional roar of aircrafts high above the clouds. A sickening, twisted sense of vertigo broke through me, as I glanced around the unfamiliar place.

Dad- no, _Fredrick_ , had said I would be staying with my Godmother, Sally. She had two boys and one girl. Remarried. He seemed all too willing to give me this 'vacation' when Sally had called and proposed the idea. They all seemed to have forgotten that we were practically strangers. I hadn't seen Sally since I was three, I didn't even remember what she looked like.

"Anna! Anna!" A voice with a ridiculously _English_ accent called out. Turning towards the source of the voice, I saw a small figure pushing past people, a large grin on his face. He held out a name card that spelled my name in what looked like kindergarten penmanship, spelling my name as two separate words. Glitter and flower drawings danced across the page, evidently drawn by Sally's only girl.

I jerked my headphones away from my ears, glancing at the boy with a raised eyebrow. An excited grin spread across his face, "You must be Cousin Anna, I'm Nico. I hope it's okay that I called you my cousin, Anna. We don't have any other family 'cause both mum and dad are only child's, but mum said that you're _practically_ our cousin, even if you're not related to us." The boy, _Nico_ , spoke at the speed of light.

A growl almost left my mouth, "My name is _Annabeth_ , one word. Only my dad call's me Anna, and he's an asshole, so I wouldn't do that either. And no, it's not okay to call me cousin. I came here to get away from family, not to be hassled by them." I almost winced at how sharp and harsh my voice was, but I couldn't help it. The kid was a walking oxymoron. His voice was chirpy and enthusiastic, but he wore full black clothing, a shirt with a faded Marvel tagline stressed in the middle, ripped jeans and a side fringe that covered one of his eyes.

Nico's smile faulted slightly, before he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. His cheeks were tainted a pale pink, embarrassed by her beady eyes. "Sorry _Annabeth_." He purposely emphasised her name, before slipping the name card under his arm. "Would you like me to take your bag?"

Swiftly, I raised a hand in front of him; gripping the only thing of him I had of home tightly. "It's fine. Just get me out of here. Does it always smell like this?"

At that, Nico chuckled. "You get use to it. Come on; let's get out of here. Too many guns," He stared at one of the soldiers, and mock saluted, before leading the way out of the airport.

The smell outside was even worse. "Shit," I swore, covering my nose with my sleeve. "You're right," Nico grinned, seeming unaffected by the smell of the countryside. He commented, "Your accents weird."

"I could say the same thing, _Your Highness_."

He turned towards her with a cheeky grin on his face, as he led me past the parking lot.

"Where's the car? Are we walking?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Nico rolled his eyes, as if he expected me to know everything as soon as I stepped off the plane. "We live on some farmland on the outskirts of Cornwall, it's about an hour's drive from here."

"So, are we hitchhiking?" Sarcasm dripped from my voice, as I struggled to lift my suitcase above the fence that lined the edge of the parking lot.

"Nah, I've got a car, well more of a truck. But the parking here is a bloody rip off, £15 an hour, who has that kind of fucking money?" He turned back, noticing Annabeth's struggle and held her arm as she jumped over the fence.

"Please tell me you're older than you look and have a fucking license. You look like your twelve."

"Fourteen actually," He mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest in a supposed display of _'masculinity'_. "And I've been driving the truck since I was five. Besides, nobody _actually_ checks if we've got a licence anyway."

He must have seen my alarmed expression because he burst out into a fit of chuckles. "I'm just pulling your leg, calm down, I'm not driving. We better hurry up though, Percy tends to get impatient."

"Percy?" I questioned, not hiding the humour out of my voice as I repeated the name in my head. Granted, I couldn't talk much, Annabeth isn't even a real name. "Is he Sally's oldest?"

"Yeah," Nico nodded, ending up pulling my suitcase from me, as I struggled to tighten the duffle bag across my shoulder. "He's my older brother, well, half-brother. But don't mention that to Percy. His dad's a bit of dick."

I scoffed a bit. "I can understand his sentiments."

"Oi kids! Where you think your going?" There were two soldiers walking towards them, guns poised to the ground. Nico seemed to have frozen in front of me, as a fear started to bubble inside my chest.

They couldn't have been much older than me, maybe not even older than Nico. One was taller than the other, and walked with a limp. The other had a shock of scarlet hair, and a permanent sneer across his face. His accent was different to Nico's too, more harsher. They were both clad in the standard army uniform, albeit they were ill fitted. I couldn't stop the narrowing of my eyes as his gaze wandered around my body. Just as I was about to open my mouth with a witty remark, a deep voice came from behind me.

"Nothing, _sir_. We're just on our way home now." The voice was dark and commanding, an accent similar to Nico's filling my ears.

An arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against a hard body. The two soldiers seemed to recognise the source of the voice, and glared at him. But they seemed to know to back off, turning away with a cock of their gun. Warmth flooded my stomach, twisting it into knots as the arm tightened around me. We turned around and followed Nico who seemed to have relaxed and grinned up at our saviour.

"Bunch of bloody idiots thinking they're the shit because of some guns." His voice sent chills through my body, as I glanced up at the man. His eyes met mine; a shocking colour that I couldn't decide was either green or blue. They were such an unusual colour. I wouldn't mind drowning in them. He sent a cheeky smirk to me, as if he could read my thoughts, before turning to Nico.

"You took your bloody time, didn't you? I had a nice nap waiting for your lazy ass to get here."

Recognition flooded through me. "You're Percy, Nico's older brother." I almost cheered at how stable my voice sounded.

He sent me a smile that sent me quivering inside again, slipping my duffle bag from my shoulder and relinquishing his grip on my waist. "When Mum said you'd be coming over, I never thought you'd be quiet like this Miss Chase." His eyes trailed over my face, almost as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

Nico rolled his eyes at his brother, before leading us to the parked truck, which was hidden behind overgrown bushes. He rushed forward, hauling my suitcase into the bed of the truck as he lifted the tailgate up. "I call the back!" He grinned, jumping in after my suitcase. Percy threw him my duffle bag, before turning to face me. He held his arm out for me.

There seemed to be a mutual understanding that flew between us, as both of our eyes roamed each other. It was here that I finally had a better look at the boy.

Ink-like raven hair, darker than Nico's chocolate strands, fell around his face in almost sea-like waves. His face was surprisingly tanned considering the English weather. It seemed like all his limbs were long, he towered over even me, someone who had been blessed in the height department. And his body- sturdy and lean from hours of manual labour, it seemed taunt and radiated power. His strong hands turned towards the truck's door, opening it as he looked down at me, those strange shades of green darkening as he caught my eye.

"Ladies' first," His voice was barely a whisper, deep enough to cause a small blush to settle on my cheeks.

I was suddenly grateful that I actually wasn't related to the Sally.


	2. I: Sleep Paralysis

**II Conflicted Affections II**

" _When I was kissing on my baby_

 _And she put her love down soft and sweet_

 _In the low lamplight I was free_

 _Heaven and hell were words to me,"_

 _\- Hoizer, Work Song_

 **Sleep Paralysis:**

 _ **(n.) The phenomenon in which an individual, either during falling asleep or awakening, briefly experiences an inability to move, speak or react. It is a transitional state between wakefulness and sleep.**_

* * *

The ride to my supposed 'new home' was actually very uneventful. That is if you didn't count the obvious silence between Sally's boys and myself. As soon as Percy started up the old junk of metal, to which he lovingly called his 'Fucking Farmers Toy' (or FFT for short), it spluttered in protest, refusing to move in the wet day of Cornwall. In response, it took Nico at the steering wheel whilst Percy and myself pushed the FFT from behind, and resulted in various mud marks to smear across my bare, shorts-clad legs.

Suffice to say, I refused to talk the rest of the ride.

As if sensing my depressing mood, Percy had switched on the CD player in the FTT, a song from before the Attacks. None of the old music stations worked anymore in New York or Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Vermont soon after. The telephone lines had been bombed in New Jersey the next month. I wondered if England had been damaged in the same ways? Did the telephone still work? What about their water mains, had they been contaminated yet?

 _When, my, time comes around_

 _Lay me gently in the cold dark earth_

 _No grave can hold my body down_

 _I'll crawl home to her_

I stared out of the window, watching as green smudges encapsulated my life at the moment. I was too young to remember how it was like before, but I knew it must be better than now. Anything must be better than now.

Percy cleared his throat, his hand tightening around the steering wheel. My eyes strayed to the frayed, mundane grey sweater he wore that tightened around his arm. I turned back to the window, resting my head against the cool glass.

As the song continued, I felt myself drown into it. The voice of the man from the past had sunk _them_ out. My eyes slipped closed without meaning too. I welcomed the silence.

* * *

 _It was warm. Arms slipped around me, embracing me in a hug. A soft giggle in my_ _ear, butterflies in my stomach._

" _Annabeth!" A familiar voice called out. A flash of dark hair, the biggest smile in the world, bare feet._

 _She was there. Right in front of me, waving her hand across my face to get my attention. It was undoubtedly her; with that big grin, her hair pulled into two fishtail braids. Just like how I remembered her._

 _She gripped my hands, pulling me out of the shadows. A small patter of rain fell from the sky; she clutched a book to her chest, The Little Prince, protecting it. It was her. It had to be her._

 _She wrapped her arms around me, so warm. She was always so warm._

" _Annabeth," Her voice was disappearing now; it had taken a fearful tone. It felt like I couldn't breath, let alone whisper her name. Trepidation filtered into her eyes, her fingers curling into fists. She looked so scared. I called out to her, my arms outstretched to reach her. My voice would not listen to my commandments; instead, an unidentifiable scratching noise released through my voice, stealing my breath as I chocked on air._

" _Annabeth?"_

 _I screamed out to her._

" _Mom!"_

* * *

The first thing I noticed was that I couldn't feel my right leg. Groaning, my eyes slipped open, expecting the brightness of the morning, instead however, to be greeted with the glumness of the English sky.

Huh, I guess that would be the one thing good about this weather. No more wake up calls at sunrise.

As if my mind kicked into gear, my eyes travelled around the room I was laying in. It was fairly big, smaller than the one I had back at home – _no Fredrick's house –_ but the person who had designed it had obviously known to shop at Ikea. There was a fat wardrobe opposite me, on the bed. A sink in the corner by the door, with a mirror above and a window seat next to large windowpanes, cushions sprawled on top of them with motivational quotes like 'Stressed spelt backwards is dessert, coincidence?' or 'Chocolate is the answer. Full marks.'

The bedspread itself just screamed English. It was bloody floral. Who had floral bed sheets in this day and age? How could they even afford it? Maybe Sally had connections to the black market. That was good. That meant anything could be traded for in this house.

My hands began to shake as I realised I was in a strange bed. Dr Nakamura voice filtered into my head.

 _If you ever feel out of your depth, just breath calmly. Remove yourself from your surroundings. Just focus on the sound of your breathing._

Well, my breathing is pretty erratic, so focusing is not going to help much, Nakamura. Never trusted him anyway.

I didn't even think anymore, it became a habit. Sally must have known about my condition, otherwise I couldn't see how she could have known to put me in a room with a sink. The water was cold but there was a bar of soap next to it. I scrubbed until my hands turned raw, watching the water piddle down the drain.

The door slammed open, and in came two figures that barely reached my hip.

"Your awake!" She yelled. It was kid, no bigger than six, judging from her height. Her chestnut hair was choppy, and fell to her shoulders in a short bob, and her eyes, I couldn't decide what colour they were. She grinned up at me, one of her front teeth missing. "Your finally awake!" She came rushing towards me, her arms wrapping tightly around my waist.

 _You're filthy._

I tensed, glaring down at the girl. A loud bark sounded beside her, and two black paws bumped my legs down, causing me to tumble over.

God, do people not know the simple means of etiquette here? Have they never knocked?

"Piper! I told you to knock before coming in, not barge in and pummel her to the ground with Mrs O'Leary." Nico's face popped around the corner of my door, his face apologetic when he saw me on the ground.

A mastiff mutt barked at her name, its swollen eyes bulging out of its socket. A sheath of smoker yellow teeth gleamed at me; dagger-like, a bottle of broken glass smashed across the floor. Its dark eyes almost sunk into itself, surrounded by equally as dark fur, an abyss that was as terrifying as a night raid.

Mrs O'Leary. Nice name for the hellhound. God, she was like a tank. Use her on the front lines and the war would be over in minutes!

"Sorry," the little girl said again. She buried her fingers into Mrs O'Leary's fur, a flush of red covering her cheeks. "I'm Piper. I'm sorry for barging in – but we _never_ have guests! And you're a girl! The only girl in this house is mummy, and me, but it's always filled with stinky boys! But now we over-over-overrule them!"

She spoke at the speed of light. Probably faster, but physics was never my strongest science.

"Piper, shut up." Nico had the decency to look embarrassed. "You'll scare her with you weirdness. Sorry about this Annabeth, she's a loose cannon."

Piper glared up at him, hands clenching at her side. "I'm not weird!" Her voice was loud, but there seemed to be sadness in it. She screamed, pushing past her brother. "I'm telling mum!"

Nico rolled his eyes, whistling to the hellhound, whose paws were still rested on my stomach. "Sorry about Mrs O'Leary, she's harmless really. Dead sweet."

As if to reinforce this, Mrs O'Leary let out an immense yawn, showcasing all her lovely sharpened teeth. Harmless.

"Supper'll be done in ten minutes. Mum can't wait to see you."

I nodded my head, hands coming to my side. My prickling skin itched to be clean from all of the touching, all I could do was clench my fists and wait for Nico to leave. Mrs O'Leary gave a toothy grin from his side, every thundering footstep she took causing a tremble to pass through me.

Until my hands turned red from scrubbing, I gave myself a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. Turning around my room, I saw my meagre suitcase and duffle bag were left hanging precariously on the window seat. The large windowpanes were covered in a smoker-yellow toned lace, covering the daylight sky from me.

To be fair, there was little daylight to begin with. Slipping the lace cover back, a sunset sky greeted me. Its rays spilled over the background night, engulfing the land in a golden bask, like coins spilling out of purses, little stars of sunshine giving a last burst of light before they crashed down to earth. They gave way to lightness, an everlasting battle against the dark.

His hair was dark. I could see him now, moving across the vast farmyard that seemed to be an endless sea of grass. After opening the gate to the paddock, Percy raised two fingers to his lips. It happened in seconds, a small snap shot of an infinity that would be a part of my memory. A whirlwind of horses of all different shapes and colours came nimbly towards him at a leisurely pace. They each seemed to greet him, his tense arms relaxing as they ran over each horses mane. He was wearing a different shirt from before, not that navy blue that greeted I first saw him, but a snow-white tee that seemed to tighten across every muscle in his body.

It was as if he could feel me staring at him. His eyes turned from the paddock towards my room, green eyes squinting in the darkness. Blood rushed to my face. Without another glance, I let the lace fall back into place, rushing out of my room.

The hallway was larger than I expected, the house in fact was. Floorboards the colour of mahogany trees laid the foundations to dark blue walls. There were two rooms on adjacent sides to mine and one opposite, and further down the hallway was another staircase, leading up to what? The handrail was made of a pale brown wood, and slipped around the staircase that split the hallway into two.

"Annabeth," Nico's voice called from the bottom of the stairs. He climbed up a few, his head popping up towards me. "I just realised that you don't know the way around here." He waited until I took a few steps down the staircase before turning back around. Taking two steps at a time, he landed on the ground in record speed, sending a chilling smirk my way. "Come on then, Mum's getting antsy."

He led me through the front of the house, the staircase leading down the entryway. To the left of me there seemed to be a parlour room, the sounds of SpongeBob Sqaurepants and Mrs O'Leary's barks muffled behind the door. Nico motioned towards the kitchen, disappearing behind one of the archways of the country house.

There she was, older than in the pictures. Sally Blofis, nee Jackson, had her back was turned to me, a mane of chocolate curls, the same ones like Nico's, fell back into waves around her shoulders. She was stirring something on the pot, an almost heavenly smell filtering through the kitchen.

"Annabeth!" Her voice was airy, a softness I hadn't heard in a long time. She lowered the heat of the stove, before rushing towards me, placing a hand on my shoulder. She made effort to not touch any part of my skin. Dr Nakamura must have been in contact with her, maybe even Fredrick.

When she smiled at me, her eyes turned into small crescents, the warm caramel reminiscent of hot chocolate on a cold day. "You've grown so much, well, fourteen years will do that to a person."

The kitchen was as cosy as one could be, what with all the rations going on; open plan, made completely out of wood giving it an almost vintage feel. The kitchen counters were a dark mahogany to match the theme of the wood; on the left of the kitchen was a large dining table, light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. A back door that led to the garden and rest of the farm was just by the table.

Sally led me to the dining table, sitting me in one of the six chairs. I could feel it when he entered the room. Percy slipped in from the back door that was right behind the dining table Nico whistled as he helped set up the table, flicking on the radio that sat on top of a shelf.

"We've just been informed that another bombing in France has killed over a 1,000 civilians. The terrorist organisation Kronos has taken credit for the attack. This will be their seventh in the last week, with numerous attacks in Germany, South Korea, India and America…" Percy silenced the radio just as Piper came bumping into the kitchen, Mrs O'Leary on her tail.

"Percy," She wined, gripping her brother's sleeve. "The telly's not working."

He picked her up with an exaggerated grunt, "Well Pipes, it's dinner now anyway. I'll see if I can fix it after okay?"

She nodded, pleased, before her eyes lit up as she turned towards me. "Tax sitting next to Annabeth!" She screamed, rushing towards me in a bundle of smiles.

She bundled over to my left, with Mrs O'Leary whining at our feet. Percy opened the back door, letting Mrs O'Leary slip out into the backyard, he and Nico helped to bring the food over to the table, Sally coming to sit down next to Piper. Nico and Percy set down what seemed to be mashed potatoes as the centrepiece of the table, with a large bowl of steamed vegetables next to it, garlic bread (or what seemed to be some sort of bread with seasoning on top, garlic bread was being heavily rationed as of late), and a jug of water. Nico sat next to her, leaving Percy to sit opposite me. They left the seat at the head of the table empty.

"Let's say grace," Sally murmured, her hands gripping Nico and Piper's. Blood rushed to my cheeks, I hadn't said grace from the time when I was five and that was only because my old bat of a grandma was still alive. Hera was too much of a controlling bitch for me to miss her when she died. I hadn't felt the need to say it ever since then.

The Blofis/Jacksons must have realised the uncomfortable atmosphere that fell; Sally's face almost looked ashamed. So she did know – there was no way she looked so apologetic if she didn't know about my aversion to touch.

I closed my eyes, embarrassment seeping into me. Warmth spread through my left hand. Snapping my eyes open, I looked down to my hand that was rested on the table to see that Piper had slipped her small fingers through mine. She looked up at me with a hesitant smile.

My breath felt as if it had stopped all together. I hadn't realised that human contact was warm. A cough sounded from opposite me. Snapping my eyes up, I fell into the green eyes of Percy. He was holding out his hand towards me.

I could feel the stares of everyone on me. My heart sped up and fear instilled into me, I could already feel my vision begin to darken around the edges, sweat building up above my brow. _Dammit Annabeth, just grab the tips of his fingers and get it over with, you are not having an episode in front of these strangers._

It must have seemed strange, the fact that I practically threw my hand into his, so fast because I was scared I would chicken out if I didn't. But I could see Sally from the opposite side of the table breathing out a small sigh of relief. His hands were warmer that Piper's, rougher. I found my fingers slipping further into his grip, moving away from the tips of his fingers. His fingers seemed to be on a journey of their own, the thumb resting on the back of my palm, gently moving in a calming motion.

"Lord," Sally started, "We thank you for the food we have on the table, when so many out there are starving, we thank you for keeping our family safe in this time of danger, we thank you for safeguarding Daddy whilst he is away protecting us, we also thank you for letting us share this meal with Annabeth and bringing her safely here without any trouble, we eat this meal in remembrance of your grace. Amen."

"Amen," I whispered, my fingers slipping from both Percy and Piper's grasps. They fell into my lap, gripping the hem of my shorts. Nico took this as a sign to dig in, using a large spoon to scoop out the mash potatoes, which I now saw to be some sort of cottage pie, with meat in it.

"Nico," Sally admonished. He grinned sheepishly; grabbing the gravy pot and not letting his face lift from his plate. Percy chuckled beside him, turning his gaze to mine. He smiled gently, lifting his arm over towards the bowl of steamed vegetables in front of me. "Help yourself, Chase. Mum makes the best Shepard's Pie in the whole of Britain."

"Oh," I didn't know how to respond. I felt my stomach drop as I realised that Fredrick hadn't told Sally anything about me. They didn't know I was vegetarian. Well, the next few minutes will be awkward. _Or you know, you could just push the meat aside and eat the mash. Sally must have worked so hard on the food, don't ruin her efforts now, Chase._

I tried to smile as reassuringly as I could, picking up as much mash potatoes as I could without any meat. I could feel Percy's stare from across me, as my hands shook slightly. He rose from his seat, turning towards the kitchen counter and bringing a bowl filled with salad to the table.

He didn't speak a single word, just left the bowl in the centre of the table, and continued to eat his cottage pie.

"Annabeth," Sally said, "Do you not like it? You've barely eaten anything."

"No, no. It's delicious." I smiled tentatively, should I tell them? _Better now then later._ "I'm… actually vegetarian."

Sally mouth actually dropped open. God I felt horrible. Piper looked at me strangely, whilst Nico had the audacity to blush, placing his fork down onto the plate slowly. Percy didn't stop eating. " _Your_ _vegetarian_? Fredrick didn't say anything about it in our letters! Oh, Annabeth I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's fine honestly. Dad..." It was getting difficult to even call him that now. "… He doesn't think it's practical, what with the war going on and all, food is sparse."

"Nonsense," Sally muttered. "I think I still have some mash potatoes if you would like them, and we've got plenty of steamed veg for you."

"That would be lovely, thank you." I'm such an awful person. God must actually be listening in to us, because at that exact moment, the phone began to ring, taking away the unwanted attention from me.

"Well." Sally smiled, albeit a bit forcefully. "I better go and answer that. Percy, could you bring the leftover mashed potatoes for Annabeth please."

As soon as she left the room, Percy rose from his seat and took her plate into the kitchen. From my angle at the dinning room, I could see him grab what seemed to be some foil, and he carefully wrapped the meal up, sealing it off.

"Don't worry about that. Mum's always gets calls throughout the day, she won't be back for a while." Nico said, shovelling the meat into his mouth. I tried to stop my facial expressions from showing my disgust; but it seemed I needn't to; Nico's cheeks blushed in embarrassment as he slowed down eating.

"Yeah! You don't need to worry about Mummy!" Piper grinned. "She's the superhero, Mum's fighting all the baddies."

I glanced back at Percy when Piper let loose this bit of information. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, playing with his food. "She's a _consultant_ I guess you could say. She's originally a family psychiatrist, but there's not a lot of people around now who have studied psychology, so Mum's always."

"Wait… so she's like the one who tries to talk terrorists out of doing stuff? She like comes into contact with them?" My respect for Sally may or may not have skyrocketed.

"More like _Sherlock_ , if you've seen the classic that was the Benedict Cumberbatch version." Nico smirked.

"Oh," I said, "I'm afraid I haven't seen that one, I've read the original books though,"

"What, how could you not have seen Cumberbatch's version of Sherlock? It was ingenious!"

I shrugged, stuffing myself with the salad to keep from embarrassing myself.

Piper squealed up from beside me. "Percy, I've finished now. Can you try and fix the telly?"

Percy swallowed his dinner down in record speed, pilling his plate on top of Piper's and slipping it into the sink. As Piper slipped her hand into his, he slapped the back of Nico's head with a grin. "You're on clean up duty."

"What?" Nico yelled. "That's not fair, I helped Mum to cook!"

"Hey, it's Wednesday." Percy grinned. He turned towards me, his smile still in place. "Have you finished yet? I can give you the proper tour after I've fixed the TV."

I gulped down some water, the palms of my hands sweating. "Yeah," I stuttered out. "That'll be nice."

He motioned his head towards the door, and I almost made a fool of myself by how fast I rose from the table. Clearing my throat to hide my embarrassment, I slipped around the table towards the doorway where he stood. He turned to the left, his back against the archway. There was little space between us, energy crackling in waves around us. I didn't know if I was the only one who felt this tension between us, maybe I was overthinking too much or he was too pretty. Anyway, it was a fantasy that I couldn't allow to happen. I wanted to escape Fredrick's house, but that didn't mean I wanted to stay here. My home was in New York, not here.

"This way," His voice dropped a few octaves, as he held his hand out in the direction of the parlour room. I slipped past him, feeling his eyes on me as I turned my back to him.

"See Percy?" Piper's voice came from the door. "All of the channels are like this."

The parlour room was a large room with a monochrome theme to it. Bookshelves surrounded the walls, filled with spines of different colours that my fingers ached to touch. Red couches were fitted opposite the bookshelves in an L shape, with a red armchair positioned right by a fireplace in the centre of the room. A mahogany brown coffee table lay in the middle of it all, separating the couches from the fireplace. The TV was evidently not working, with that awful black and white static-like screen screaming out to us from its place above the fireplace.

"Alright Pipes, I'll check the connector. Annabeth," He turned towards me, smiling slightly. "Sit down. Make yourself at home."

It was like a fog had settled over, engulfing the three of us into a state of awkwardness. Mrs O'Leary was nowhere to be seen, so Piper settled down on the floor, crossing her legs as she waited for her brother to finish fixing the TV. I had the beautiful view of Percy reaching behind the TV box, his taunt muscles sliding against the wall to keep himself balanced.

"Hey Perce-" Nico's voice was cut off by the sudden cut of electricity, as we became immersed into darkness. My heart skipped a beat.

"Shit." He whispered.

"Nico, Piper's here." Percy scolded, his voice reaching my ears in waves. I rose from my seat, seeking light. Everything in my eyesight was a dark blob, and I hissed in pain as my foot slammed into the coffee table.

"Does this usually happen?" I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder, guiding me back to my seat.

"Unfortunately." Nico replied. "At least I finished the dishes before the electricity cut."

I could see the bleary silhouette of Piper as she rushed out the door, probably to get Sally. Rummaging could be heard around, before the sound of a match strike was heard and my eyes narrowed down to the single source of light. The candlelight set a sort of sunshine glow against Percy's face, as he set the candle back down into a holder by the TV.

Sally came in with Piper grasping her hand, "Is everything okay here? Nico, go light the candles in all the rooms; I'm sure we have some torches in the kitchen, bring those to my office please. The electricity will be out longer tonight, I think."

Nico mumbled something under his breath, as he left the room. "Percy, look after Piper for me. I've got some work I need to sort out." Sally patted Piper's head softly, sending me a soft smile. "Sorry about the power cuts Annabeth, they're getting awfully frequent lately."

I waved my hand towards her, shaking my head "Don't worry. Back home it was worse."

She smiled at that, settling Piper on the couch by me. Sally then grabbed a blanket, settling it over the two of us. "If you guys need me, I'm in my office just down the corridor."

I nodded my head in understanding, tugging at the loose threads of the blanket. Percy had been busy whilst Sally was looking over us, the room basked in the golden light of the candles.

Nico arrived soon after, a grin splitting across his face. "Who's up for some cards?" He threw the cards across the room to Percy who settled into the armchair, lighting the fireplace.

I bit the bottom of my lip from saying anything, but it seemed like my eyes betrayed me as I kept glancing at the bookshelves.

"Go ahead." Percy nodded towards the shelves. "They're just there for decoration if we're being honest. None of us inherited Paul's sense of reading, something he's miffed about if I'm being honest."

"I don't want to intrud-"

"Here." Percy threw a random book towards me. _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_. "Good choice," I smirked, despite the anxiety I felt when talking to him.

He shrugged, "I'm nothing if not lucky."

* * *

We spent the rest of the evening like this, Piper had slipped out from under the covers to sit in Percy's lap as they fought against Nico, and I managed to read a good chunk before I felt his eyes on me. He left a trail of fire down the side of my face, causing me to grip the book's cover with more strength than there should be.

"I don't like snap." Piper suddenly cried. "Let's play Go Fish!" She pouted after loosing for the fifth time, evidently Percy had been distracted enough to not pay attention to the game. He grinned down at her, and I tried to hide behind the pages of Lewis Carroll's classic. I could feel those eyes as they swept across the room, landing on my own in a rush of sensations.

I didn't know what this was, the feeling that flooded through my bones or the sense of solidarity in his eyes. His eyes- God you couldn't even call them green. The edges around his pupil seemed to be surrounded by rifts of sapphire, which then merged into strokes of sea green. They pierced into me, sending waves of warmth through my body, a tirade of emotions that I have never before experienced in my sixteen years of life.

"I'm feeling a little tired actually Piper," My voice stuttered, coming out shaky. I smiled half-heartedly at her when Piper's body seemed to deflate. "Guess my body's not used to English time. Why don't we play in the morning?"

Piper pouted at that, her little arms crossing over her chest. Percy turned his eyes from me to the little girl next to me, who immediately deflated with a heavy sigh. "Fine." She pouted with a stubborn face. She raised her pinky finger towards me. "Promise?"

I grinned at her, raising a hand to ruffle her hair. "Promise."

* * *

The little clock on the wall reminded me that it was well past the sane hour to be awake. The small candles that hung from the ceiling in little birdcages had long since extinguished. I could blame it on the jet lag, that my body was not in tune with the English time or that I couldn't sleep because of fear of the bombs that would inevitably rain on the English. But they would all be lies - I knew I was lying to myself. I was so _tired_. But I couldn't go to sleep.

Sleep always evaded me. It was one of the symptoms of depression, according to Doctor Nakamura, who had diagnosed me when I was thirteen. Annabeth Chase, a thirteen year old who suffers from arachnophobia; an insomniac who can't sleep in the dark, who downs prescribed drugs to dull the pain, and hides behind books to escape; daughter of Athena Chase nee Olympus, who found her mother's dead body at the age of five, and the bottle of pills that surrounded her.

It must have been a misdiagnosis. It wasn't sleep that escaped me. My _consciousness_ evades me; I was without awareness. I was fixed in the transition of a state between sleep and alertness, where I couldn't move or speak. My lack of desire for sleep was the reason for this. I didn't want to be trapped there anymore. I didn't want to be imprisoned in the cell where all there was were the dark depths of my mind and the scared small voice of my five year-old-self crying for help.


	3. II: Hiraeth

**Sorry for the late update, but 5k! Aren't you guys proud of me? I've been doing a lot of planning, so hopefully the next chapters are closer together. Again, sorry for the wait. I'll be concentrating on one story at a time though, so Conflicted Affections will be getting the main focus on my time.**

 **Rated: M**

 **Warning: Triggers, dark themes, violence, sexual content and explicit language**

 **Disclaimer: All characters belong to my lad Rick; the plot is inspired by How I Live Now, but as you'll see the characterisation and backstory of each character is completely different.**

* * *

II Conflicted Affections II

 _"Where are you, where are you yeah  
I'll run to you  
Where are you, I'm alone  
Our happy home"_

 _\- Ailee, Home_

Hiraeth (welsh):

(n.) a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past

* * *

Sleep evaded me that night, so instead I took refuge on the window seat overlooking Sally's land. The sun had finished its' slumber, seeping it's rays up from the bottom of the sky. Birds had started to flock together, singing sweetly morning to each other in tones humans couldn't understand.

I leaned my back against the wall, tugging my legs up to rest my head on my knees. My arms encompassed the back of my legs, as I stared out into the farmland. There was little natural beauty in the world. Since the terror group Kronos had attacked most cities, Britain had become one of the last countries to be attacked. As such, it was also on high alert, it was difficult to come in and to leave. America had been hit already numerous times, too close to home that my father saw it best to send me here. Alone.

The war had left much of the world ravaged, sending young boys to their deathbeds early. It had come to the time where messages of loved ones deaths were sought out more; there were an unsettling number of soldiers who whereabouts are unknown. My older brother being one. Everyone soon found out within months of the war, it's better to know than to be kept waiting.

I can pinpoint the exact time of my brother being declared MIA to the time I began to unravel once again. Malcolm was my bulwark, the defensive wall around my collapsing castle. Once he had disappeared, there was nothing left to keep me from crumbling down.

I drew shapes on the frosted windowpane, leaving a trail of mist behind. As the world seemed to slip out of focus, a bundle of dark hair in the morning sun brought me back.

Percy was opening some chicken pens, Mrs O'Leary trotting behind him. He was wearing a thick plaid coat, his hair bustling around in the morning wind. Handsome was not an accurate word to describe him. Otherworldly, as if he were some sort of divinity, his hair was dark ink black in the morning light, a sharp contrast with the paleness of his skin. And his eyes, gods, how was it possible for a human being to look like he did, and where do I sell my soul for the same thing?

As he whistled for Mrs O'Leary to follow him, she barked up at me. My hand clutched my chest, as her tongue lolled out of her mouth, a dog version of a grin I suppose. Percy glanced up, noticing me staring from the window. He's going to think I'm such a creep.

He lifted his fingers up in greeting, to which I tried to smile in response, no doubt coming off as more of a grimace than anything. He motioned towards the house, which I assumed meant that he wanted me to come down? All this thinking was making my head hurt.

Slipping on my thin robe and slippers, I attempted to make my hair seem presentable, flattening the flyways down. I could hear the rattle of the door opening downstairs, and Mrs O'Leary's footsteps pattering against the wooden floor.

 _Well, it's now or never._

Percy was in the kitchen, his back to me. His jacket was scrawled across the back of the dining room chair, as he placed a saucepan on the stove. Mrs O'Leary bounded towards me, yipping at my feet.

I petted her head as I made my way towards the kitchen, sitting down at the table. Percy turned towards me, a smile splitting his face in two. "Good morning," He said, in that delectable accent. I almost blushed from the thoughts that were running through my mind, especially when his fingers began to sift through his dark hair.

"Good morning," I replied, biting the inside of my cheek to put myself in check. Mrs O'Leary had followed me from her bed by the stairs, resting her head by my crossed legs.

"Would you like something warm? I'm just putting the tea on, the kettle's not working well with all the electricity going on and off." He turned his back to me again, towards the boiling water that was spluttering from neglect.

"No thank you, I'm not much of a tea fan." Which was a lie, but it was mine and Malcolm's drink. After his disappearance, I hadn't so much as looked in the direction of hot drinks, not like they weren't being rationed anyways.

He gasped mockingly, eyes twinkling as non-existent wrinkles around his eyes seemed to crinkle.

"If you say you're a coffee person, I'm afraid we'll have to send you straight back to America. Can't have a non-tea person in this house," He raised his hands up, grinning. "Not my rules."

I chuckled slightly, scratching Mrs O'Leary's head slowly.

"So," I started, "Mind me asking how old you are, you look old enough to be enlisted…"

He grinned at me. "I turned seventeen the other week, I've still got a year before I'm dragged off to the death tombs." He said it so indifferently, as if he was talking about picking up milk from the grocers. "I'd have enlisted earlier, but Paul went beforehand. I don't know about America, but in Britain, the government said than only one male member of a household has to enlist; more can, but Paul wanted me to finish high school and start college. You?"

I rested my palm against my cheek. "Sixteen, I was in my sophomore year before all the schools were closed down. The Attacks were getting too frequent."

Percy rested his cup of tea on the table, taking the seat in front of me. "What's America like? All we see of it nowadays is what's showing on the news."

"It's… dealing how any country is dealing with the attacks. My stepmother and dad, they've left New York now, I was the only one sent here."

"Can I ask why? From what Mum's told me, you have two younger brothers right? Shouldn't they be here with you?"

My throat seemed to close up at the mention of her family. To them, I was just another source of danger. It wouldn't surprise me if they used the Attacks as a way for me to be cut off from their perfect life. I was more than the black sheep in the family; I was a consequence of my father's past, a reminder of the horrible life he lived before. I didn't want to mention that as soon as my brother turned eighteen he took me away from home and we'd been living happily away from my father and his new family ever since. I didn't want to talk about Malcolm at all.

"I… volunteered at a refugee camp in Long Island, after my boarding school in New York closed. They needed all the help the could, one of my professors from school, Mr Brunner, he was the school physician, but he was originally a medical doctor, before he got into an accident that lost him his legs. He took me under his wing and we helped give treatments to those who needed it. God, it was chaos."

"Everyone else is back in San Francisco. It was easier for me to stay in New York than join them, it's the only place with a functioning airport to send me to England when Sally got in contact with us." I didn't tell him that San Francisco was probably the safest place in America at the moment, after D.C fell from Kronos' invasion and that New York was a wasteland filled with refugees and injured soldiers returning from war. That was another reason that I stayed in New York. If Malcolm ever returned, he would have been there; another reason why I didn't want to be in England.

"Is it as bad as the news shows it to be?" Percy seemed so out of touch with the war. England seemed like such an isolated place. There were little to no Attacks here. After Kronos declared war on the world, the Queen took control over the British government and issued a state of emergency. They sent help whenever they could but could not risk the fear of allowing refugees to enter, for fear of them being undercover terrorists. I was a special case.

I nodded, wrapping my fingers around my cup. The cup was too hot, but the heat was a distraction from the coldness of the morning.

Percy sighed, his finger tapping the handle of his cup in a rhythmic sequence. Silence ensured between us, as we each seemed to become lost in the overwhelming sense of disparity between our experiences of the Attacks. Percy saw everything through the safety of a television screen. I lived it.

His eyes flickered from the steam rose from his cup to my face, his eyes were as blank as an unpainted canvas. He opened his mouth to speak, just as the door opened, interrupting him.

"Percy, did you feed the chickens?" Sally shuffled into the kitchen, yawning behind her hand. A blue woollen robe was slipping over her small shoulders, dark circles slipping under her eyes.

Percy rolled his eyes at his mother, before standing up from his seat to kiss her cheek. "Do you have to ask?" He refilled the teapot with water and set it on the gas stove.

Sally chuckled softly, sitting in the seat Percy had just vacated. He set another cup of tea in front of her, taking his own and sitting next to me. I could feel the heat that his body was sending my way. I clenched my fists around my drink, focusing my attention on the steam of heat escaping my cup.

"Late night, mum?" His voice grew deeper, almost admonishingly.

It was Sally's turn to roll her eyes. "Who's the parent in this relationship, Perseus?"

Percy groaned in embarrassment. "Don't call me that. What ever possessed you to call me such an abomination of a name?"

I snorted into my cup. "Perseus? Like the Greek Hero?"

Sally's eyes twinkled. "Yes, I'm a bit of a history buff, if I do say so myself. Obsessed with all the ancient civilisations in the world, Incan, Egyptians, Greco-Roman, you name it."

I grinned, catching my laughter before it escaped my throat. "I think I had a cousin who was obsessed as well, Norse mythology especially. I haven't heard from him in a while since the attacks." My voice trailed off, engulfing us in silence once again. _Well done, Annabeth. Way to dampen the mood._ I berated myself, internally groaning.

"So," Sally started, "Why are you two up so early?" I could almost hear the She motioned between the two of us. Percy coughed into his cup, his cheeks erupting in a thin blush. _Oh my gosh, how cute._ I shook my head at the thought.

"I, I couldn't sleep." I shrugged, slipping my fingers around the empty cup. Sally nodded her head in understanding,

"Your mum was the same. She had so many things surrounding her head she'd just sit up on that little window seat in you room writing things down in a little diary."

Now that was news to me. "Mom… used to stay here?"

Sally nodded her head, "Well, she was a coffee lover, but I'm sure you knew that we grew up together?"

"I knew you guys were really close friends, I didn't think she lived in England."

At that Sally chuckled. "Well yes, she did. We grew up in Manchester before moving to London for University. That's where she met your father; he was doing a semester abroad and chose our University. They married almost as soon as they graduated and moved to America the following year. But they'd always take a holiday here in the summer. I'm not surprised you don't remember, you and Percy were just babies. I'm sure Malcolm remembers though."

In the span of five minutes I had learnt more about my mother than my whole sixteen years. Malcolm was only nine when Mom died, he tried to tell me as much as he could remember but even then, there are some things you forget or can't describe. Now, I know that it was likely that my mother would smell slightly of coffee, and that her brain was always moving. It was more than my father had told me all my life.

I could feel Percy's eyes following the way that my fingers gripped my cup. I felt like a man who had walked through the desert in search of water his whole life before stumbling across a pool of golden water. I wanted more. I _needed_ more.

There were thousands of questions flooding my mind; I wanted to know everything, yet nothing could crawl out of my suddenly constricted mouth. Finally, I was able to whisper out "What was she like?"

Sally looked at me with undeniable pathos, the natural twinkle in her eye dimming. "She was my best friend; god, was she smart, top of her class, full marks without even needing to try. But she did try. She knew the value of hard work; she got a full scholarship to Oxford University doing her masters in Mathematics. I called her Athena, after the Goddess of Wisdom from Greek Mythology, because she was such a spitfire, her mind always working. We both didn't have any brothers or sisters, so we were more like sisters than friends. God, I loved her."

Sally looked down at her cup, eyes tearing up slightly. "She hated my first husband though, thought he was the bane of her existence. She was right, of course she was never wrong, and he was a bit of a dick. But he gave me something that was worth all the pain he put me through." She looked up at Percy, who had turned silent at the mention of his father.

He swallowed quietly, picking up the cups and turning to put them in the sink, before silently beginning to wash them, signalling the privacy he was giving to us.

Sally reached out and took my hand. Her hand was rough and calloused from raising three kids, but they were warm and weathered, like how Annabeth imagined her mother's hands to be. She gripped me tighter, pulling me away from the kitchen and Percy, and into her study on the ground floor.

Her study was spacious and beautiful. There were two desks on opposite sides of the room, one was obviously untouched yet was piled with millions of books, and behind it the walls were covered in mahogany bookshelves. The other was more used, papers strewn across the table and a MacBook, which seemed to have Sally's email loaded up. She switched the computer off, before gesturing for me to sit on the small, worn out couch that was near the desk with the books on. She turned to her side of the room, looking through the small bookcase that was next to her desk. She then turned to sit next to me, moving at a small speed and clinging to the worn-out notebook she held tightly to her chest.

"I need to tell you something, Sally." I could barely raise my voice above a whisper, my throat constricting. I gripped the hem of my robe, chewing my bottom lip.

"If it's about Doctor Nakamura then it's okay Annabeth, your father told me about him. I know you've been seeing a psychiatrist since you were young. I am one too you know," Sally was warm, less of a doctor and more of an aunt now.

I nodded my head in understanding, so she knew how screwed up I was. "Things were getting better. Ethan- Doctor Nakamura, he's been seeing me since I was a kid. I stopped seeing him when I was twelve, but he told me to email him or call whenever I needed to. Then, the thing with Malcolm happened, and gosh- I'm a curse. Everyone who I love ends up leaving." I couldn't stop the tears from falling now, sobs racking my body. The lost hours of sleep had finally caught up with me, and now my emotions were a mess.

Sally slipped her arms around my shaking body, drawing me closer to her. Her warm hushes were music to my ears as she gripped my body tighter. When was the last time I had been held like this? I couldn't even remember.

"You need to know this Annabeth, that your mother loved you and Malcolm with all her heart. There's a saying that with genius comes madness, you can't blame yourself for what happened."

My sobs proved to be harder to quieten down then I thought; I guess the saying when the dam breaks, everything finally floods. Sally ran her fingers through my hair, soothing me like a child.

"You haven't been sleeping well have you?"

I shook my head, hiding my face in her hair. "The voices keep me up." I whispered. She tightened her grip on me.

"Your mother said the same thing. And you know what she'd do?" I lifted myself from her shoulder, turning my tear-stricken gaze to hers. Sally had a few streaks of tears on her face, as she motioned towards the leather-bound book in her lap.

"She'd right down every single thought that came across her mind, bad and good. People like Athena and you have too much going through your mind. You need to de-clutter it once in a while. It'll do you some good. Here."

She handed me the journal, her hands trembling slightly. "Your mother left this in our dorm, I was meant to give it her back but-" She cut herself off, instead raising her hands to run her fingers through my hair once again. She blinked back tears as she smiled softly at me. "It's only half full, but I thought you'd like to read it. Most of it is unintelligible, small thoughts she had through the day."

"Maybe you'll finish the other half for her." Sally smiled, her warm smile suddenly familiar to me. It was just like Mom's.

* * *

I had returned to my bedroom, locking myself in. Now that I knew that my mother used to stay in this very room, I became infinitely more engrossed in the space. This was the bed she slept on. That was the window seat she stayed up on. That was the sink she used to brush her teeth in. I sat crossed leg on the centre of the bed, my headphones spilling our of my ears.

Sally was right when she said that my mother's words were indecipherable. They were a mix of math equations and words that I had no idea about. But when she did right in sentences it struck me how similarly we both thought. She talked about the emptiness she felt before falling asleep, how her mind would be running at miles not letting her body catch up. It made me wonder what her voices said to her.

I skipped breakfast, the tea being enough to fill my stomach. A few hours ago I heard Piper asking about my whereabouts, she knocked on a few times but Percy always dragged her away. It was around noon when she knocked on again.

I stood up from my bed, having read my mother's old journal twice now. Unlocking the door, Piper's small figure barely reached my waist. She looked up, her chocolate ringlets curling at her waist. She grinned up at me, her front tooth missing.

"Annabeth! You're awake! Percy said that it's lunch time, and that you need to come eat otherwise he'll set Mrs O'Leary on you." She waited for me as I turned to the sink in my bedroom, smoothing the flyaways of my braids down in the mirror before I turned towards her. She looked at my hair in awe.

"Your hairs really pretty." She mumbled into her smile, shy at being caught staring. "Mum's always too busy to braid my hair, and Percy always gets it more knotted than it was to begin with."

For some reason, the domestic image of Percy sitting behind Piper with a hairbrush and attempting to do her hair made my stomach fill with butterflies. I didn't know what possessed me to open my mouth, but before I knew it, I had said "Do you want me to braid your hair for you?"

The face-splitting smile she sent me meant that I couldn't take what I said back now. If there was one thing I knew from growing up, it was that you never say something to a kid if you don't plan on going through with it.

I made her sit on the edge of my bed, before grabbing my hairbrush and some random hair ties I had lying around on my bedside table. Brushing her hair slowly, my heart almost stopped at the familiar feeling that flooded my body. I could vaguely remember my mother doing something similar when I was younger, causing my fingers to stop running through Piper's hair.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked innocently. I opened my mouth, but what could I say to her? Instead, I shook my head, painting on a fake smile before I continued brush. As I began to part her hair into two, Piper rattled on about her day.

"Me and Nico took Mrs O'Leary on a walk to the town centre. There was a big line when went to the Post Office to see if Daddy had sent us any letters, but nothing came through. Nico went to pick up our rations but some guys tried to take it from us," My fingers stilled at that, turning towards Piper in fear. She smiled brightly up at me. "Mrs O'Leary scared them off, but Nico made us run back home. Percy said that from now on, him and Nico will get the food rations instead, so I'm stuck at home now."

I tied off the braid on Piper's left side, before turning her in the opposite direction so I could start on her right side. "What have you been doing all day? I didn't see you at breakfast." She pouted at that, her chestnut eyes looking up at me in question.

"I was reading." I told her, "I haven't been sleeping well so your Mom gave me a book to try and help me read to sleep."

"You've seen Mum?" Piper gasped. "I haven't seen her _all_ _day_." She whined. "She's locked herself in her study, saying that she has work to do. Percy's making us lunch and Nico's boring, so I'm bored." She humped, crossing her arms over her chest.

I laughed at that. "Tell me next time your bored, maybe we can go out on adventure without those smelly boys around."

"What's this I hear about smelly boys?" Percy's voice interrupted Piper's answer, as he stood leaning against the doorway, looking as delectable as he did in the morning. He cocked his head to the side, staring me down.

"I hope your not talking about me, Miss Chase." His accent drawled out my surname, making my stomach turn to mush.

"I wouldn't dream of it." I mumbled, finishing off Piper's braid quickly. I pulled her off the bed and gripped her clothed waist, hoisting her up so she could see herself in the mirror above the sink. "What do you think?"

Piper squealed, "I love it!" She wrapped her arms around my waist, burring her face into my stomach. "Thanks Annabeth, you're the best!"

"Pipes, if you love Annabeth, I think you should let her breath." Percy chucked, pulling Piper away from me.

She glared at her brother, before grabbing my hand instead as she stared up at me with shining eyes.

"Can you sit next to me at dinner?" She asked. I let out a small giggle, nodding my head. "Lead the way, Piper."

She squealed once again, dragging me out of the room in front of a chuckling Percy. He stayed one step behind us, making sure I saw him languidly keeping his eyes on my figure with his dark blue eyes. _Well, if he was going to stare at my ass, might as well give him something to look at,_ I thought, before adding a little sway to my step. I hope it wasn't my imagination that came up with the quiet, deep-throated groan I heard from behind.

Piper let go of my hand as soon as she saw Mrs O'Leary at the bottom of the staircase. Percy took this as his opportunity to slip his arms around my waist, his warm breath just above my ear, setting me off with a thousand incitements across my body. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to me, Annabeth?" His arm tightened across my waist.

I don't know where this confidence came from, but I slipped out of his grip, skimming down the stairs. "Why don't you let me know after dinner?"

He let out another groan.

* * *

Turns out there was no after dinner, as unfortunate as that sounds.

Sally had run out at the middle of lunch, locking herself into her study. Within minutes, she was out and rustling into her bedroom upstairs. Apparently, this was something new, because Percy rushed to follow her.

They spent the next hour behind locked doors, Percy's voice rising slightly, before he stormed out of the room and out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Sally came down the stairs slowly, looking almost drained. She gripped a small suitcase in her hands.

"Mum," Nico was the one to break the silence. "Where're you going?"

She dropped the suitcase to the floor, turning to wrap Nico and Piper into a hug. "Right, you know how important Mummy's work is right?" Piper nodded, dropping her. "Well, I have to go on a business trip to Geneva…"

"Geneva?" Nico cried. "That's in Switzerland! Why you going there?"

It seemed that Nico didn't know what Geneva stood for nowadays, despite knowing its' geographical location. Sally caught my eye as I stood up from the table, holding Piper's shoulders. "Hey, Pipes, why don't we go and see where Mrs O'Leary's going. Your Mom will need to talk to your brother okay?"

Piper wanted to protest, her eyebrows furrowing as I dragged her out of the kitchen and into the living room.

I grabbed a random book from Paul's bookcase, this time it was _The Secret Garden_ , and pulled Piper into my lap. I asked her if she wanted me to read to her, which she nodded, albeit hesitantly.

"Annabeth," She interrupted me once I started the third chapter. "What's Geneva? And why does Mummy have to go there?"

I rested my chin on the top of her head. "It's a place in Switzerland which is a bit far away from here, it's where all the good people go to the make really important decisions. If your Mommy's going there, then that means that those people really need her help." Piper stilled for a moment, before nodding her head. She sunk further into my chest, signalling me to continue reading.

Ten minutes later, Nico entered the room, looking slightly pale as he sat down next to me, listening to me read. I could hear Sally upstairs rummaging through the halls at such a speed that it wouldn't surprise me if the carpets would wear out.

Piper became heavy in my lap, and I looked down to see that she had fallen asleep. I gently adjusted her so she would be more comfortable in my arms before turning towards Nico.

"What did Sally say?"

He glanced towards me, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I noticed that this was almost a nervous tick of his, as he played with his nails. "She said she'll be gone for two weeks, more if things don't go right. She said Percy and you are in charge, but that she's leaving in like fifteen minutes."

I nodded my head, my hand coming up to stroke the strands of Piper's hair that had come loose from her braid. "Things have gotten that bad have they?"

Nico nodded his head. "The government's issued a state of emergency, we've gone from high alert to critical."

"Fuck." I swore. "Where did Percy go?"

Nico bit his lip. "He's gone to get the truck, he's going to drop Mum off at the airport. I'd go with him, but Mum said I need to stay with you."

I gripped Piper tighter. "You can go if you want, me and Piper can stay and wait for you guys."

Nico shook his head. "It's getting really dangerous now, I know it might seem sexist but, nowadays, if girls are left alone…" I shook my head at him, telling him I understood. I've seen the worst of humanity back at the camp in New York, I helped at the medical . It made me wonder who we were fighting if the good guys were doing such horrid acts against their own people.

The rattling of the front door made me jump as Percy came back into the house, keys hooked through his fingers. He came into the living room, his eyes meeting Nico's first before travelling to mine. His panicked expression softened as his gaze fell to Piper's sleeping form.

"Here," He muttered, softly taking Piper's body from my embrace. "Help me put her to bed."

Nico and I rose from the couch, following Percy as he carried Piper up the staircase to her room. I hadn't entered Piper's room before, but it screamed the little girls' personality entirely. Apparently, for a six-year-old girl, Piper hated the colour pink with a passion as shown from the lack of said colour in her bedroom and clothing attire. The walls were a muted sunshine yellow and her bedcovers were filled with purple and blue butterflies.

My heart essentially melted into a puddle of goo at the sight of Percy tucking Piper into bed. He kissed the top of her forehead before turning towards the two of us. He grabbed my wrist and beckoned for Nico to follow him as he moved us downstairs into Sally's study. He didn't let go of my wrist even as Nico's eyes burned into the side of his face or when Sally bundled in, shoving folders into her carrier bag.

"Okay," She said, pulling her messy hair into a low ponytail. "I'll be gone for two weeks, maybe more. I need you guys to look after each other. I know, I know I promised I would stay until your dad came back, but they need me." She kissed all of our heads, her eyes flittering to Percy's hand that was gripping mine.

"Be safe." She said. "Tell Piper I love her."

I nodded my head as Percy let my hand go reluctantly. He glanced at my face once, his eyes promising me a single word. _Later._

Nico and I watched them leave through the door as the night took over.


	4. I'm sorry

Hi guys.

It isn't great news I'm afraid. I had the next two chapters written but I can't bring myself to post them or edit it.

In case some of you don't know, I've been a huge follower of K-pop since 2012. One of my favourite groups is a group called SHINee and my favourite member went by the name of Jonghyun. Yesterday, I found out, along with all the other people in the k-pop community that Jonghyun had passed away. He was 27. I'm not in the right mind to write or to even think properly. This was one of the groups that inspired me so much, my heart breaks to think about all the pain he's been through.

So I'm going on a hiatus until I feel up to writing again. I just... my heart is breaking because I loved him and the band so much. I still love him and will always love him. SHINee will always be composed of five of the most talented men that I've had the pleasure of following and supporting, and I will continue to do for the rest of my life. And some people can say that he's just a singer, that I didn't know him. But he was my inspiration, my teacher. He taught me how to love and to empathise with others with his songs. He was one of the most beautiful songwriters I've heard in a long time and if I ever felt down, SHINee is where i would go. SHINee was my safe haven for a long time, i'm sad that I couldn't be his.

I want if any of you are k-pop fans and are Shawols or are just as affected by Jonghyun's death, please know that I understand the disbelief and the pain we're going through. It doesn't feel real. But Jonghyun's always told us about his depression, we though we we're helping him, but all it takes is a split second for depression to come in and say that there is no hope. Don't listen to it. We look towards our idols and artists and place them on a pedestal. We see them as this larger-than-life being. But I never saw Jonghyun as anything other than a beautiful human being who's greatest gift to life ended up destroying him. He loved music but it was music and the expectation that came from it that killed him in the end.

Mental health and depression is a huge issue. Please, if anyone's feeling down, send me a private message or talk in the comments below. I'll be here to support anyone who needs it.

I **will** be back. But right now I need to mourn and focus on how to be okay again.


	5. III: Incalescent

**Rated: M**

 **Warning: Triggers, dark themes, violence, sexual content and explicit language**

 **Disclaimer: All characters belong to my Rick. The plot is inspired by How I Live Now, but events and portrayals of characters are all different from it.**

 **It get's a little _saucy_ guys, you have been warned. Someone you're all probably excited to meet makes an appearance. Comment who you guys think will also make appearances in future chapters, winners get present *** **wink, wink***

* * *

II Conflicted Affections II

Incalescent (English):

(adj.) growing hotter or more ardent; set ablaze

Mrs O'Leary's rough bark was the first indicator that it was morning. It seemed like I had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for Percy to return, the untouched volume of poetry slipping from my hand and landing on Mrs O'Leary's sleeping form. She growled lowly, her eyes as bleary as mine. With a loud yawn, I slipped from the couch, rolling my shoulders that let out loud groans of pain as I stretched my body forward.

"Now, if that's the sight I'll come home to after a long drive from Cornwall, I'd happily do it again,"

A croaked gasp left my throat, as I spun around to meet Percy's smirking face. Mrs O'Leary had faster reflexes than me, running towards Percy with a loud bark. He grinned down at her, scratching behind her ears with an endeared look in his eye. He whistled for her to follow him, letting her out into the yard and leaving me to drown in my embarrassment on my own.

He was still smirking when he came back.

"So Miss Chase, I distinctly remember being promised to explain all the things you have done for me in the past two days of our acquaintanceship." He grabbed a blanket that was piled in one of the bookcases beside the couch I had spent most of the night on, before settling next to me.

His voice held humour, but his face was contradiction- heavy, as if the green depths of his eyes were a dam, holding back an entire ocean from flooding his every being. He ran a hand through his hair, and he kept his eyes glued to my face.

"How long was the ride?"

"Around three and a half hours, strange to think it used to take five." He mused to himself, thoughts turning to time long ago, where carriages of cars would be on standstills for hours, moving at a snail's pace to their destination. Now, there were no cars. No one left their homes. It was much too dangerous.

"A man came with us, for protection," He said it so nonchalantly, as if his mother wasn't in such a precarious situation of being sent to Geneva, the political headquarters of the world during this godforsaken war, and hence, most definitely not screaming to all of Kronos that this person is of political leverage.

I wondered if he realised he was rambling, or maybe it was the lack of sleep. It was currently 4 in the morning; Apollo would soon be dragging his golden chariot around the sky in two hours, and here Percy was, trying to seem as if he was wide-awake.

"Percy."

He looked towards me, green eyes veiled with fatigue.

I raised my arms in his direction as he fell into them. A sharp breath escaped from his lips, almost as if he had been holding it in since his mother had left. We both were still for a moment, savouring in the warmth of precious human contact. I pulled him tighter to me to stop him from completely falling apart. The blanket twisted uncomfortably around my legs, but it didn't matter. His head was in my neck, my fingers in his hair. His arms clamped around my waist, closing his eyes against the thrumming of my heartbeat.

His voice was muffled, a silent whisper barely audible. It took me a few seconds to realise he was repeating the same sentence, over and over again.

" _Keep her safe, please, keep her safe,"_

I stayed silent as he prayed, holding him even tighter.

* * *

Mornings in the Blofis-Jackson household were something I would have to get used to. Piper was usually a bundle of energy, but without Sally's warming presence, she was drained of her buoyant personality. She plopped herself down next to me as Percy started breakfast, resting her head on my arm.

"Did you not sleep well, Pipes?" Percy, despite the lack of sleep, was attentive to Piper's attitude.

She sighed mournfully, leaning heavily onto my arm. "How long will Mummy be away this time?"

I picked up on the ' _this time'_ , but Percy rolled his eyes, placing a cup of juice in front of her. "She'll be back before you know, Pipes. Why don't you go jump on Nico to wake him up instead of bothering Annabeth? Her arms about to fall off." He grinned cheekily at her, to which she grumbled at. She stayed rooted to my arm, closing her eyes.

"Piper."

She groaned, pouting as she drunk her juice and left the kitchen, presumably to wake up Nico. I smiled watching her go, until I felt eyes burning into me.

Percy placed a plate of toast in front of me, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not much of a cook, well, not as good as Mum. This is the best I can do without burning the house to ash."

I grinned up at him, amused at the slightly charred piece of toast. I made an extra effort to sound enthusiastic as I ate, to which he groaned in embarrassment, hiding his face behind his hands. He grabbed the plate from in front of me, and grumbled, "If your going to make fun of me, don't eat then."

"Oh no, Percy, you must let me finish this, else I be damned to the seventh level of hell. It is the most mouth-watering, delectable piece of toast I have ever had the fortune of eating. Why, the way the butter journeys down the every grain of-"

"Annabeth!" He groaned, his cheeks blushing as he sulked. "I swear, I'll make you regret saying anything about my cooking."

"I didn't know toasting bread requires such difficult culinary technique, Jackson." Raising an eyebrow, I couldn't stop the exuberant smile from spreading across my face.

He leaned forward slowly, his eyes making contact with mine. "You're doing it again, Chase."

"Doing what?" I raised my voice, acting offended, but I think my laughter gave away my euphoric feelings. He was so close. I couldn't breathe.

"Smiling." He leaned over the table, his eyes drawing down from my eyes to my lips.

My heart stuttered. He leaned so close I could see the flecks of green in his blue eyes.

"NICO! PERCY! OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR, IT'S FUCKING FREEZING OUTSIDE!"

I held a hand to my heart, jumping out of my chair. Percy actually swore bloody murder.

"For fucks sake, William, the doors already fucking open!"

William did not match the voice, or the language he used. A tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed angel popped his head through the backdoor, with a grin brighter than the sun. "Where's Nico?" were the first words as he walked into the kitchen.

Percy rolled his eyes, grabbing his cup of tea and ignoring him. William turned his head towards me, eyes widening comically. His eyes went from Percy's annoyed face, to my blushing one, putting two and two together. He coughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck in a similar manner as Percy had done before.

"Hi," he finally whispered, scuttling forward in front of the kitchen table. "I'm Will, I live next door. You must be Annabeth." I nodded, unable to form coherent words, my mind still reeling.

Nico stumbled down the stairs, Piper on his tail. His pyjamas were in his signature colour scheme – black, although the messy hair sort of ruined the entire vibe. Will brightened considerably, almost gliding towards Nico and placing a kiss on his cheek.

He seemed to remember my presence, turning towards me with a shy grin. "Oh yeah, I'm Nico's boyfriend."

I nodded in understanding, running a hand through my hair to try and settle my thoughts. Nico's bashful blush seemed to do the trick. He was adorably flustered at Will's presence when he was barely awake, and hastened to flatten his bed hair. Piper giggled behind him, turning back into her joyous self and skipping to her place next to mine.

I wrangled my hands together, avoiding Percy's gaze. "Are you staying for breakfast, Will?"

He looked up from whispering to Nico, before smiling at me. "If that's okay with you?"

I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, tapping my fingers against Percy's shoulder. "I'm not the one in charge," I grinned, stepping out of my chair and in front of the stove. "So, what would you like, Will? We have an unhealthy stash of tea and slightly charred toast."

Percy made a noise of indignation.

"I did say 'slightly'."

* * *

The heat of Percy's body was a blatant act of revenge from this morning, as his right arm rested across my shoulders. Mrs O'Leary bundled to the front, chasing after Piper as Nico and Will walked hand in hand, keeping an eye on her as we walked down the countryside lanes.

I gripped the picnic basket tightly, as Percy's arm tugged me closer. My heart felt as if it would explode with our close proximity. A small crescent formed on Percy's left cheek whenever he smiled, which he always did when he caught me staring.

"Warm enough?"

I thought back to the reason that I was in this situation in the first place. For some reason, despite being in the beginning of June, the English countryside was still as cold as winter. There was barely any sunlight in sight, yet Piper was wearing a sundress and Percy a t-shirt. I nodded my head in response to his question, but Percy turned his head back to Piper in front of us, making no intention of removing his arm.

"This is a typical English summer, Annabeth." He grinned as a particularly harsh gust of wind flew through us. "It'll warm up in a few hours." His fingers ran from the tops of my shoulders down to my forearms, running up and down a few times. The warmth that ran through me was a heavy reminder that this was real. I was here in England, whilst there was a war raging on outside. It was in my own, slightly cold, but safe bubble.

Percy's eyes were dazed when I sent him a sunny smile, hoping he would understand. "I'm warm enough." I leaned into his arms as we walked down the lanes.

"Percy!" Piper squealed from ahead. "It's Blackjack! I can see Blackjack!" She ran towards us, tugging Percy's hand towards a field gate. He separated from me, throwing me a lazy smile that sent my body into fragments of dust. My fingers gripped the picnic basket tighter, as I tried to pull myself together. A simple smile from him was disarming.

Piper climbed across the field gate, unable to wait for Will to open it for Mrs O'Leary to get through. Nico held the gate open for me, as Piper pulled Percy further down the field.

The sight I was greeted with was nothing I could ever have seen from New York. The clouds were a darkened grey, which lead to everything being tinted in a pale-like white. Yet instead of having the effect of greying the field, it served as a canvas for the verdant field. Emerald shades fisted from the ground, the grazing ground for a herd of monstrous beasts.

"Oh my god, what are those?" I stayed behind Nico's frame, keeping an arm on his shoulder. "Sorry Will, but I'm sacrificing your boyfriend."

"What? NO, he's too pretty!" Will played along. "Use yours instead." This kid had a death wish.

"Don't be silly, Annabeth." Piper grinned, turning back to my shaking self who hadn't stepped away from the gate. "They're just horses."

Percy laugh could be heard from where he was, moving the horses away from our path. Nico took the picnic basket from me rolling his eyes as he pulled Will away from us, leaving me on my own to face these perilous creatures.

Picking at the edge of my nail, I bit my lip. Turning back towards the gate, I wondered if I could make it back to the house on my own.

"Don't even think about it, wise girl." Percy had returned, holding his hand out. "Come on."

I looked to Percy and back to the horses. He was pulling me towards the advancing group before I even placed my fingers in his hand. "Trust me." The things his smile did to my heart told me not to, but I couldn't stop my feet from following him.

Piper had sat down on the picnic blanket, opening the basket for a sandwich. Will was lazily sprawled across the blanket, Nico helping Piper set up the picnic. I hated to be that girl who would cower in front of a boy, but my fingers clenched around Percy's hand as we past by the herd of 100 pound, taut muscles that could trample me to death. The evidential smirk on Percy's face did little to help with my independent woman persona.

"Say one word, and I swear Percy Jackson."

He chuckled, the vibration running through our locked hands as he sent me a crescent smile. "I won't say anything, at all Chase. Although, I would like to mention that you have one strong grip."

"Please. Let's hurry up," I complained, pulling him further away from the horses to the safety of the picnic blanket.

"You're such a city girl." He rolled his eyes at me.

The picnic was as fairly quiet affair. The fields seemed to stretch on for years, kissing the grey sky as cold wind wept through my body. To the far right, I could see the mountainous hills of green, seeming to hold the puffs of alabaster clouds with atlas-like strength. There was something so _warm_ about the day, despite the chill of the English weather. It was there in Piper's beaming laugh as she ran around the field, picking daisies for her princess crown; it was in the way that Will rested his head against Nico's stomach, laughing at the dick-shaped clouds in the sky; it was in the way Percy's large hand engulfed my own, not saying a word but just being there in presence. It was something I hadn't felt since Malcolm went missing.

It was the warmth of a family.

* * *

Piper had somehow winded up on my back, as the rest of us made the trek through the fields back home. Her arms fell loosely around my neck, head resting heavily on left shoulder. She mumbled incoherently as I locked her legs tighter around my arms. Percy held open the door for me, the sun finally settling behind us as we made our way inside.

Will had begrudgingly returned home, whispering sweet words to Nico before he left. His house was a few blocks down from the Blois-Jacksons, and from the distance I could see a golden cat greet him as he opened his gate door.

"I can take her," Percy murmured, arms already reaching for Piper's body. I shook my head, despite the perspiration that I could feel falling down my neck. From what I noticed, Piper was an extremely light sleeper, so I nudged Percy with my hip to direct me towards her room.

Percy pushed past me, careful to be quiet as he flicked the nightlight on, illuminating the dark room with light. Despite being small, Piper's room had a high ceiling and was consumed in colours of sunshine and daisies. There was a canopy bed nestled in the corner of the room, and a small bookshelf littered with Nintendo card games and different models of classic cars. Percy carefully pulled back the covers of the bed as I slowly unhooked Piper's grip on my waist. As if he was touching gold, he gingerly held up her arms and placed her down gently on the bed. She muttered under her breath, a quiet groan when she touched the coldness of the blankets, before her hand reached out to touch the heated skin of my arm.

"S' cold." She groaned, closing around my arm tightly. "Stay?"

I sat on the bed as she opened her bleary eyes, "I'm sure you'll warm up soon. Nico's gone to turn on the heating." I soothed, placing a hand on her cheek. Percy stood from his side of the bed, pulling the pastel curtains of Piper's room closed. He checked her radiator, making sure it was on full blast before returning, this time kneeling beside me.

"I think it's time to sleep now, Pipes." He reached out to tuck the arm she used to grip mine under the bed. She grumbled once again, eyes closing on their own accord. I chuckled quietly, leaning over to place a kiss on her cheek. "Sleep tight, Piper."

"Thanks Annabeth." She mumbled, "You're the best sister in the world." Her breathing began to even out, and she fell asleep once again.

We must have spent ten minutes watching her sleep, silence filling the space. There was a tension that wasn't there before, a warning of sorts. I could feel his eyes as they trailed across my body. Instead of looking away as I did so many times before, I met him dead on, my tongue slipping out to dampen the roughness of my chapped lips. I don't know who reached out first, but suddenly he was all I could see, all I could feel. His breath was on my neck, arm reaching to replace Piper's grip as he pulled me from her room.

His grip didn't lesson as he pulled me towards the end of the corridor, towards another staircase. Our steps were rushed, my breath coming out laboured. All I could see was the tightening of his broad back, the way that his shirt pulled taut against his muscles, straining to be released. He took the steps two at a time, a habit that Nico seemed to have too, but which lead to my usually coordinating self tripping a few times to match his immense speed. We finally reached the top of the staircase, leading to a single door.

His lips found mine before he could even open it.

Small, strangled gasps escaped my mouth, my fingers flying to grip the ebony locks of his hair. A deep-throated groan vibrated through his body as I tugged gently, warmth pooling in my stomach at the feeling. His thick fingers roughed around the inclinations of my hips, pulling me forward, closer to him. One of his arms left my body, reaching behind him to push us through the door.

Stumbling behind, our bodies moved in an unrehearsed rhythm. He moved with such inexplicable grace, his lips leaving mine as my lungs begged for breath. He didn't stop with his ministrations, lips searching for every piece of skin he could get. My grip on his hair tightened when he began his journey on my neck, open-mouthed kisses causing my body to curve towards him. Quiet moans left my mouth as his hands travelled from my hips to my waist, a single hand slipping underneath the flimsy material of my blouse.

"God, Annabeth you have no idea what you do to me." His voice was dark and warm and husky. I felt as if I couldn't breath, my reply coming out feebly weak, as I lowered my grip from his hair to his neck.

"Less talking." I bit his lip, pulling him closer to me as I swallowed his surprised yelp. His fingers reached further up, a gasp escaping me when they toyed with the underlining of my bra.

"Fuck, Percy." He pulled me closer, nudging my legs behind until they hit a bed frame, knocking us over onto what I assumed his bed.

My hair sprayed out behind me, as Percy's fingers slipped across my cheeks. He lowered his body onto mine, arms resting on either side of my head.

"You are driving me crazy, Chase."

* * *

 **I'm evil. I know.**

 **HAPPY LATE VALENTINES. I LOVE YOU.**

 **I feel a lot better since last time, thanks to all of you're lovely comments. I've had a pretty amazing January, I got an offer from the University of my dreams, did amazing in my mock exams and got my writer's block behind me.**

 **As such, I'm hoping to regularly update now, I've planned out the next chapter already. Updates will generally be on Saturday, but I just had so much fun writing this chapter, I wanted to upload it as quick as possible. Who knows, maybe as a present for being the best readers ever, I'll give you guys a double upload ;)**

 **Thanks for sticking with me. I'll definitely be uploading more often. However, there is some bad news. If you're a fan of my other stories, I'm sorry to say that some I will be discontinuing. I've just fallen out of love with them. I'll be updating which stories I'll be discontinuing, and those will be deleted a week later; others will be on hiatus until I finish this one first. Conflicted Affections is currently my priority.**

 **Anyways, once again, I LOVE YOU, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME.**

 **Happy reading, my lovelies**

 **\- LiveLaughLoveTogether13**


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